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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · leaves · pitch · bear · pound · cell · straw · fall

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. row — a line
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fall — the season
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. row — to paddle
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com